May 3, 20213 min read

What is Dry Cupping Therapy?

Dry cupping is an ancient form of traditional medicine where cups are applied and left onto the skin for a few minutes to create a suction.

This increases the blood circulation to the area, and manipulates the skin, cells & muscle tissue to release tension as well as treat scarring.

By increasing the blood circulation to the area, this will bring more oxygen to an area of tension to ease pain. Dry cupping can reduce pain, aid recovery from illness, help to reduce stress and tension, improve digestive flow, help to re-align the body's energy as well as improve energy levels.

It pulls blood to an area to encourage healing and helps to stretch tight fascia and muscle tissue by encourage blood flow.

Dry cupping therapy is used to treat injuries and is often used in conjunction with other therapies such as sports massage, Tui Na and Acupuncture.

Dry cupping therapy is part of Chinese Medicine and specifically works with the meridian channels that acupuncturists often work along, this is to promote healing, balance and shift energy flow within the body.

In sports therapy, the therapist would incorporate dry cupping therapy to reduce musculoskeletal tensions and assist in restoring range of movement.

This therapy enables you to work on both physical and energetic aspects to restore health, energy and tension in the body.

Here are the ways you can use Dry cupping therapy.

The cups can be placed over:

•Acupuncture points

•Trigger points

•Meridian lines and moved along them

Dry cupping is ideal to be used to treat an area that maybe too large to treat with massage or other therapies such as dry needling.

It can also be used when massage is just not working, and can be used in combination with other treatments, such as sports massage, deep tissue massage, Swedish massage and acupuncture, to name a few.

The theory behind Dry cupping is that the suctions from the cups will bring new, fresh blood to the area and draw stagnant blood out of the area.

Neovascularisation occurs as new blood vessels are formed as a result of the new blood being forced into the tissues.

Another process occurs during dry cupping, called ‘sterile inflammation’, this is where the body releases white blood cells, as well as platelets, fibroblasts to promote healing.

Dry cupping also helps to stretch fascia and tissue to reduce muscle tension which then also stimulates the formation of new blood vessels and draws waste, blood and nutrients to the damaged tissue.

By using more cups around a damaged area, you are creating a ‘stretching’ effect to the connective tissue and fascia to increase the range of movement.

The benefits:

•It works well with other therapies to increase the effects of treatment, such as, sports therapy, massage, acupuncture, dry needling, heat therapy

•It stimulates the nervous system by the active movements used

•It helps with muscle memory

•It stretches the connective tissue and fascia to increase mobility

•It helps to remove oedema from an injured area

•It increases the circulation to the muscle, skin and fascia

•It increases oxygen and nutrients to the soft tissue

•It increases the removal of waste and chemical irritants to the muscle and fascia

•It helps to remove stagnant blood from an area

•It increases the healing process by causing micro trauma which then leads to ‘sterile inflammation’

•It helps with pain management